You don’t need to be around Abby Dunstan for a very long time to know two things.

First, she is a very determined person and second, she is a very competitive person.

Those traits have served her well in her life.

When Dunstan began to play softball at an early age, she fell in love with the game. As she continued to play, the competitive side of her didn’t want to just keep playing softball in high school and then go on to any school to further both her education and softball career.

She wanted to play against the best. She wanted to play Division 1 softball. That’s when the determined side kicked in.

For Dunstan, it wasn’t just a dream, it was her simply stating what she was going to do some day.

In the fall, Dunstan will be heading to Georgia Tech where she will play Division 1 softball.

“That was always what I wanted to do, and when I was old enough to know the difference in divisions, I knew I wanted to play against the best, and that meant Division 1,” said Dunstan, who for the second straight season was named the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Softball Player of the Year.

Dunstan was part of a senior class that had great success over their four seasons.

There were three trips to the PIAA semifinals and three to the District 11 finals with one of those resulting in gold medals. The class of 2026 also won two Colonial League championships and went to the finals in all four seasons.

In her senior season, Dunstan led the Tigers in home runs (9) and RBIs (31) while batting .472 with 10 home runs. Her career highs in average (.516) and home runs (11) came in her junior season at Northwestern.

For the seniors, the season ended in frustration when Northwestern fell to North Schuylkill in the district semifinals. It was especially frustrating for Dunstan, who homered in her first at-bat and was then intentionally walked in each of her next three trips to the plate even though the game was out of reach by the time she stepped in for what was her final high school plate appearance.

While her offensive numbers are what get talked about the most, defense is a big reason why Division 1 schools were after Dunstan to get her to commit.

Pitchers have confidence in her to block pitches in the dirt and also to make throws to nail runners attempting to steal. The defensive part of the game is important to Dunstan, and she turned herself into one of the better defensive catchers in the area as well as being a threat at the plate.

“I’ve played a couple of other positions, but I like catching the best. I like being involved in the game and working with the pitcher,” said Dunstan.

“Emma (Freeman) and I have played together since about seventh grade and we work well. Lizzie (Diehl) has really stepped up and I think she did a great job for us.”

Freeman and Dunstan aren’t just longtime battery mates; they have become best friends. The start of the college year will separate them with Dunstan heading south and Freeman heading to Shippensburg University.

Kate Farber, who coached the Tigers for the past three seasons, was impressed with every aspect of Dunstan’s game, including her ability to lead and to commit to helping other players, even those who haven’t reached the high school level yet.

“She’s able to lead the team without saying anything, but she also has a vocal piece and is not afraid to speak her mind. She’ll let everybody know when we need to pick it up. She steps into the batter’s box with total poise and confidence. A lot of that is contagious,” said Farber.

“She does a ton of stuff with our youth. We’re trying to build up our youth program because there was a lull for a couple of years, but Abby and the other girls did a great job of sparking that interest again.”

For four seasons, Dunstan provided offense, defense, and leadership for Northwestern Lehigh that will be difficult to replace.

Georgia Tech puts one of Dunstan’s primary goals on the list of accomplishments and will also be a place for her to achieve many more goals and achievements.